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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Not So Tricky Triangle for JJ

INDIANAPOLIS RECAP: Jimmie Johnson battled a tight Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS throughout the 400-mile event. Crew chief Chad Knaus and the No. 48 team worked on the car making chassis adjustments throughout the race, but the team ended up finishing 14th despite strong practice times throughout the weekend.

SEASON-TO-DATE: After 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup races this season, Johnson owns the fifth-highest driver rating with a score of 101.3. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS has led the most laps with 1,008.

JOHNSON WEIGHS IN ON THE TOUR DE FRANCE: Despite his demanding schedule, Johnson took the time to keep tabs on the running of the 101st Le Tour de France. While in New Hampshire, Johnson talked to NBC Sports’ Marty Snider about the Tour, stating he watched with “great respect.” A link to the interview can be found here.

JOHNSON AT POCONO: In 25 starts at Pocono Raceway, Johnson has three wins, 10 top-five finishes and 17 top-10s. He has an average start of 9.1 and an average finish of 8.7. Johnson has led 738 laps and has three pole positions.

DRIVER RATING AT POCONO: Johnson has the second-highest driver rating at Pocono with a score of 108.7 in the last 19 races. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Chad Knaus has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 48-879 for this weekend’s 400-mile event. This chassis was the Lowe’s Chevy Johnson won with at Dover in June. The backup car is Chassis No. 48-728 which last saw on-track action earlier this season at Bristol Motor Speedway.

#TEAMJJF WELLNESS CHALLENGE: The third event in the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Wellness Challenge series will take place on Tuesday, August 19, in Waxaw, North Carolina. For more information or to sign up for the Lake Norman Excursion, visit http://jjfwellnesschallenge.racesonline.com/. Johnson and his wife Chandra launched the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in February 2006 with the mission of assisting children, families and communities in need throughout the United States. Since its inception, the foundation has committed more than $6.7 million to various charities. For additional information on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, visit www.JimmieJohnsonFoundation.org.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT POCONO: Most recently, Dale Earnhardt Jr. went to Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway earlier this season. Hendrick Motorsports has had a winner in at least one race at Pocono in each of the past four years, including a season sweep in 2013 thanks to Johnson and Kahne. In total, Hendrick Motorsports has 16 wins, 61 top-five finishes and 106 top-10s in 201 starts at the 2.5-mile triangle.

30TH ANNIVERSARY: In 2014, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 30th anniversary in NASCAR. The organization began in 1984 with five employees and 5,000 square feet of work space. It has grown to more than 500 employees with a 430,000-square-foot facility that sits on 140 acres. Driver Geoff Bodine won the Martinsville Speedway spring race on April 29, 1984, marking Hendrick Motorsports’ first victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Quote:

JIMMIE JOHNSON, DRIVER OF THE NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS (ON POCONO): “Very excited to go back to Pocono. In June, even with a damaged car, we still had a chance to win. We took a gamble on strategy late in the race and I really think it was the right move if we had a straight race car and a car that didn't have some bent suspension on it. So we still had a good finish, but I am very excited to go back to Pocono. I just love that track.”